The Disaster Artist

Directing himself as one of the worst directors ever, one of the most underwhelming directors of the decade directs one of the best films of the year. There was plenty of Room to outdo the source material, and the Francos filled it magnificently. No need to tear this one apart.

Lovelace

‘Somewhat Near Deep Throat’ struggles to achieve documentary’s depth.  Miscasting, misdirection, and an excess of inference result in a tedious unpalatable drama that relies on fragmented chronology and repeatedly shoving it’s message down the viewer’s throat to compensate for a lack of compelling material.  But James Franco’s in there, so…

Alpha Dog

From the director of The Notebook comes this unusual approach to a true crime story. Young stars Yelchin and Hirsch easily outshine Willis and Stone. Perhaps one of the only films to leave audience feeling sorry for every character. Not great, but not terrible, earning it the title, Beta Dog.

The Quick and the Dead

Raimi approaches western genre with all the subtlety that he brought to horror, and succeeds courtesy of the simple, silly, and highly entertaining plot. Features decent performances from relative unknowns Dicaprio and Crowe. Stone’s beauty (though shortlived) is almost enough to distract from the flatness of her performance. Quick zoom.